More than five months on since Storm Desmond devastated part of the A591, it's been officially confirmed today that it will re-open between Keswick and Grasmere tomorrow morning (Wednesday).
The key route - which links the North and South Lakes - has been shut since early December after it collapsed at Dunmail Raise during the flooding.
It will be reopened by Environment Minister Rory Stewart MP.
The job's been finished a few weeks early, and Cumbria County Council says it will open to regular traffic at 8.30am.
In April, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “We know that the winter storms had a devastating effect on many people in Cumbria and across the north. That is why we have invested more than £117 million – including an extra £83 million in last month’s Budget – to ensure the region gets back on its feet as quickly as possible.”
However, there has been some criticism of the length of time it's taken - the closure's estimated to have cost local businesses £1million a day.
The Grasmere Business Partnership with Keswick Tourist Association - supported by SLDC, is throwing a champagne reception on the 20th of May to celebrate.
It says visitor numbers to the Lake District have dropped by a fifth since the floods.
Cumbria Tourism, the county’s official destination organisation, has welcomed the news, saying "it comes as a massive relief to those tourism businesses which have suffered a downturn in trade in recent months due to a reduction in traffic and passing trade".
They will now be working with more than 2,400 member businesses and a range of government bodies to help raise awareness that the A591 and the communities it serves are eager to welcome visitors back. Coach tour and group travel operators will also be targeted to drum home the message.
Ian Stephens, Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, said: “Recent months have been very challenging for many tourism businesses, particularly in the Grasmere, Ambleside and Keswick areas. However, the re-opening of the A591 is a major boost for tourism businesses and signals the fact that this important arterial route linking the north and south Lakes is now operating normally as we go forward into the busy summer season.
“Although businesses will understandably still feel cautious, we are now looking forward to the summer with a sense of renewed optimism. A series of new and established local events such as the Keswick Mountain Festival are planned for the coming weeks, and the record number of high quality of entries for the upcoming Cumbria Tourism Awards also underlines the continued resilience and determination of tourism businesses to promote what they do with passion and enthusiasm.”
Official bodies including Cumbria County Council, Highways England, United Utilities and the Lake District National Park have all played an important part in getting the road back into action for motorists.
South Lakes MP Tim Farron is tabling an Early Day Motion in parliament to welcome the opening of the road, to thank the workers who helped to make it happen, and to declare the Lake District back open for business.
He said: “I am delighted that the road will finally reopen tomorrow morning. It has been a long five months for local businesses, who have struggled with reduced trade since the road was first damaged by the floods.
“It's a shame that the Conservative government decided not to make the A591 a priority and it has taken this long to be fixed, but the repair of the road now sends a clear message that Cumbia is back open for business! This will help to boost the tourist trade and provide welcome relief for local businesses.
“I’d like to thank all those involved in the reconstruction work, as well as the business owners who have held out for this moment throughout this difficult period.”
A591 Damage: Timeline of Events:
Cumbria was badly affected by Storm Desmond, which hit the county of December 5th. A few days after the damage to the A591 was caused, a special video outlining what needed to be done to fix the road was released by Cumbria County Council.
In the video, Dr Simon Ferley - the principal geotechnical engineer at Capita, talked about why the road was damaged, and how it could be rebuilt:
A second video was released around a fortnight later:
On the 4th of January, a pathway for schoolchildren was opened as part of plans to reconnect the North and South Lakes, connecting to a shuttle bus that ran along the western shore road of Thirlmere:
The regular updates continued, with a further video posted by Cumbria County Council on January 25th:
In February, a public bus service connecting Keswick and Grasmere via Thirlmere started operating for the general public, using a temporary road that was built to bypass “The Gap”.
You can view a video of the test run here:
After some delays to the road's re-opening date, in March a Grasmere teenager took to YouTube to voice her anger at the closure - in what she called ‘forgotten’ Cumbria.
15 year old Eden Rose Hunter recorded a version of Keane's 'Somewhere Only We Know' after it was confirmed that the road wouldn't re-open until May at the earliest:
Now, more than five months on, it's hoped the Lake District can continue on its road to economic recovery - as commuters and visitors take to the route which again sees the South Lakes reconnected with the North.